Health News
- Medicaid Managed-care Firms Get New Contracts With New Rules Aimed At Resolving Health-care Providers' Issues With Program
Kentucky has signed new contracts with five managed-care firms that will manage Medicaid coverage for more than 1.1 million Kentuckians. Contracts were awarded to Anthem, Coventry Cares, Humana, Passport and Wellcare. Kentucky changed Medicaid to managed...
- Advocates Of State Appeals For Medicaid Managed-care Claims Make Last-ditch Effort To Get It Passed, By Hijacking Another Bill
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Advocates of a bill to create a state appeals process for health-care providers to appeal decisions of Medicaid managed-care companies are trying to jam it through at the end this short legislative...
- Beshear Vetoes Prompt-pay Bill But Takes Several Steps To Address Problems In Medicaid; He And Haynes Say It's Working
Gov. Steve Beshear has vetoed the bill designed to make Medicaid managed-care firms pay health-care providers more quickly, but is taking administrative steps to address the issue. Beshear said he agreed with the intent of House Bill 5 but it might have...
- Legislature Eases Physician Assistant Rules; Nurse Practitioners' Prescription Power, Medicaid Prompt-payment Bills, Others Linger
By Molly Burchett and Al Cross Kentucky Health News The Kentucky General Assembly has joined other states in easing the restrictions on physician assistants? medical practice, but has held up a similar move for advanced registered nurse practitioners....
- House Sends Senate Pill-mill And Medicaid Managed-care Fixes
The state House yesterday approved without dissent two bills aimed at improving Kentucky's health care. House Bill 217 addresses some "unintended consequences" of last year's "pill mill bill" by easing some of the bills regualtions....
Health News
Bill to make Medicaid managed-care firms pay up, and more promptly, nears final form in House and will get attention in Senate
By Molly Burchett and Al Cross
Kentucky Health News
The complaints by many health-care providers about Medicare managed-care firms' delay or denial of payment claims appears to be generating a bipartisan solution in the General Assembly. A bill on the House floor that would transfer late-payment complaints to the state Department of Insurance, which enforces Kentucky's prompt-payment laws, appears to have support in the Senate.
House Bill 5 would apply the prompt-payment laws to managed-care organizations and would move Medicaid late-payment complaints to the insurance department; those are now handled by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which administers Medicaid.
Hospitals, doctors and other health care providers have complained that the cabinet is not resolving their payment disputes with managed-care firms. The bill cleared the House Health and Welfare Committee Feb. 21 and is awaiting a vote on the House floor. The bill is sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo.
Sen. Julie Denton, chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, told Kenny Colston of Kentucky Public Radio that she plans to give the bill a hearing and supports its intent to make managed care organizations pay providers. "I think anything we can do to have more oversight and more assistance in keeping them in compliance with their contracts is a welcome breath of fresh air," she said.
Senate President Robert Stivers said he has concerns about the bill affecting the MCOs contracts with the state. But he said his chamber will take a look at the bill, Colston reports. The cabinet has had the same concerns, and some other objections that are to be addressed by House floor amendments.
Kentucky providers report being burdened by a lack of or delayed payments from the new managed-care system. Kentuckians have called for immediate action by state government to help fix these issues on behalf of providers and patients, which has prompted this bipartisan legislative response.
Kentucky Health News is an independent news service of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky, with support from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
Kentucky Health News
The complaints by many health-care providers about Medicare managed-care firms' delay or denial of payment claims appears to be generating a bipartisan solution in the General Assembly. A bill on the House floor that would transfer late-payment complaints to the state Department of Insurance, which enforces Kentucky's prompt-payment laws, appears to have support in the Senate.
House Bill 5 would apply the prompt-payment laws to managed-care organizations and would move Medicaid late-payment complaints to the insurance department; those are now handled by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which administers Medicaid.
Hospitals, doctors and other health care providers have complained that the cabinet is not resolving their payment disputes with managed-care firms. The bill cleared the House Health and Welfare Committee Feb. 21 and is awaiting a vote on the House floor. The bill is sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo.
Sen. Julie Denton, chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, told Kenny Colston of Kentucky Public Radio that she plans to give the bill a hearing and supports its intent to make managed care organizations pay providers. "I think anything we can do to have more oversight and more assistance in keeping them in compliance with their contracts is a welcome breath of fresh air," she said.
Senate President Robert Stivers said he has concerns about the bill affecting the MCOs contracts with the state. But he said his chamber will take a look at the bill, Colston reports. The cabinet has had the same concerns, and some other objections that are to be addressed by House floor amendments.
Kentucky providers report being burdened by a lack of or delayed payments from the new managed-care system. Kentuckians have called for immediate action by state government to help fix these issues on behalf of providers and patients, which has prompted this bipartisan legislative response.
Kentucky Health News is an independent news service of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky, with support from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
- Medicaid Managed-care Firms Get New Contracts With New Rules Aimed At Resolving Health-care Providers' Issues With Program
Kentucky has signed new contracts with five managed-care firms that will manage Medicaid coverage for more than 1.1 million Kentuckians. Contracts were awarded to Anthem, Coventry Cares, Humana, Passport and Wellcare. Kentucky changed Medicaid to managed...
- Advocates Of State Appeals For Medicaid Managed-care Claims Make Last-ditch Effort To Get It Passed, By Hijacking Another Bill
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Advocates of a bill to create a state appeals process for health-care providers to appeal decisions of Medicaid managed-care companies are trying to jam it through at the end this short legislative...
- Beshear Vetoes Prompt-pay Bill But Takes Several Steps To Address Problems In Medicaid; He And Haynes Say It's Working
Gov. Steve Beshear has vetoed the bill designed to make Medicaid managed-care firms pay health-care providers more quickly, but is taking administrative steps to address the issue. Beshear said he agreed with the intent of House Bill 5 but it might have...
- Legislature Eases Physician Assistant Rules; Nurse Practitioners' Prescription Power, Medicaid Prompt-payment Bills, Others Linger
By Molly Burchett and Al Cross Kentucky Health News The Kentucky General Assembly has joined other states in easing the restrictions on physician assistants? medical practice, but has held up a similar move for advanced registered nurse practitioners....
- House Sends Senate Pill-mill And Medicaid Managed-care Fixes
The state House yesterday approved without dissent two bills aimed at improving Kentucky's health care. House Bill 217 addresses some "unintended consequences" of last year's "pill mill bill" by easing some of the bills regualtions....